San Gabriel officers shoot, kill driver after chase ends in Rosemead
ROSEMEAD, Calif. (KABC) -- Officers shot and killed a man at the end of a chase in a Rosemead neighborhood, but the circumstances that led up to the shooting remained unclear Thursday.
The chase started shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday after officers tried to pull over a 2015 Jeep in the city of San Gabriel, according to the city's police department.
The driver led police on a chase that ended near Charlotte and Garvey avenues in Rosemead. Some time after that, two officers opened fire. The driver, who was the sole occupant in the car, was struck by gunfire and died at the scene.
AIR7 was over the scene where a body appeared to be covered by a tarp surrounding by several evidence markers in the street.
Martin Hernandez, a family member of the driver, heard the shots go off in his neighborhood.
"At first I thought it was fireworks... but then I thought, if there's cops going by, it's probably gunfire... It was about 20 shots," Hernandez added.
What he didn't know at the time was that the victim was his brother-in-law.
"He was a good guy. Like everybody, you know, everybody has problems at some point in their lives... But he was very cool," he said.
Further details on the shooting and what prompted police to initiate the pursuit of the suspect weren't immediately available.
Some family members were seen at the scene in visible distress and disbelief, but some may not even know about what happened.
"I haven't talked to my sister. That's my sister's husband. She's in Mexico right now... so, that's all I know," Hernandez said.
When asked if the man was armed or if there was exchange of gunfire between him and the officers, a spokesperson for the police department would not comment on that or the identity of the suspect.
Hernandez said the man who was killed is survived by his wife and children.
The California Department of Justice is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting.
